Chapter 1163: Qingbao Calls Him Leader?
Chapter 1163: Qingbao Calls Him Leader? (Combined Chapters)
What was going on…? Qiao Sang blinked in confusion.
Hadn’t the Dian Zha Guai’s previous stay here been… pleasant?
“Xunxun?”
Treasure Seeker chirped beside her, asking if the mission had been posted.
“Done.” Qiao Sang handed over her mobile phone, instructing, “If anyone calls about the mission, pick it up and tell them to come by today.”
“Xunxun~”
Treasure Seeker nodded eagerly, claws already reaching for the phone.
“There’s more,” Qiao Sang raised the phone higher, adding, “You’re only allowed half an hour. Don’t forget to head out for battle after lunch.”
“Xunxun…”
Treasure Seeker drooped but nodded, taking the phone.
Qiao Sang lifted her gaze to the living room ceiling, where Tingbao and Qingbao zipped back and forth. She smiled faintly.
Her original goals—evolving Qingbao and boosting her brain domain to 60% to bond with Thunder Dragon—had both been achieved ahead of schedule. Even Tingbao had evolved to the Intermediate stage. Everything was progressing smoothly.
As her thoughts flickered, Dragon King, lounging beside the TV, flipped to a news channel.
The anchor announced:
“Next story: Recently, a high-Level Ghost-type Companion Beast has been impersonating low-Level familiars to challenge passersby to battles, deceiving numerous Beastmasters and familiars into suffering losses.”
“Here’s an interview with a victim…”
The screen cut to a three-meter-tall, brown-furred monkey familiar glaring at the camera, screeching:
“Bad! Bad! Bad, bad!”
Qiao Sang’s attention snapped to the TV.
A Dark-type High-Class Beast Companion, the “bad monkey” was notorious for mischief—nine out of ten had criminal records.
How ironic, she mused, a bad monkey calling others bad… The familiar’s profile flashed in her mind, and she couldn’t suppress a smirk.
But her smile faded in the next breath.
The footage switched to security cam videos. In the grainy footage, a Ghost-type Companion Beast—barely dozens of centimeters tall—materialized behind the monkey. It raised its claws, condensing a jet-black Shadow Orb that smashed into the monkey’s head. The beast collapsed instantly.
The small Ghost-type Companion pointed at the unconscious monkey, signaling a hot dog vendor nearby. The vendor nodded, handing over two hot dogs. The tiny beast passed one to a companion—another petite familiar with Cloud Steps materializing beside it. The pair ambled off, munching casually.
Though the footage was grainy, Qiao Sang instantly recognized the duo: Treasure Seeker and Qingbao.
Dragon King had noticed too. He glanced between the TV, Treasure Seeker, and Qingbao before settling his gaze on Qiao Sang.
Before he could speak, the screen cut back to the anchor:
“Victims report the Ghost-type Companion Beast is small, unregistered with a Miniaturization Band, and deliberately misleads others into underestimating its power. Experts confirm it’s the Night Ring King—a Royal Tier Ghost-type Companion Beast from Blue Star. Do not be deceived by its appearance.”
Treasure Seeker, already sensitive about his size, would never stoop to impersonating a weakling. Yet here he was, trending on the news for this exact scam… Qiao Sang hoped this wouldn’t affect his future battle invitations. Please let him stay glued to that phone… She shot Dragon King a pleading look to change the channel.
“Thud!”
A sound snapped them back. Treasure Seeker’s phone had clattered onto the sofa.
Qiao Sang turned. Treasure Seeker stared at the TV, frozen like a statue.
He’d seen it…
Before she could speak, Treasure Seeker whipped around, tears welling in his eyes. With a wail—
“Xunxun!”—he floated toward his room, scrubbing his face furiously.
Qiao Sang: “…Take your phone.”
Treasure Seeker froze, shuffled back, grabbed the device, and resumed sobbing as he floated away. Qingbao trailed behind.
“Tingting?”
Tingbao hovered above, tilting his head. “What’s wrong with Leader?”
“Nothing,” Qiao Sang stood. “Let’s head to the Open Training Ground. Time to test those newly awakened Skills.”
Tingbao forgot the commotion instantly, wiggling after her.
“Momo…”
The living room emptied. Dragon King, left alone, felt an odd loneliness. He missed his Beastmaster—and the juniors in his own territory.
---
In the room, Treasure Seeker sniffled, scrolling furiously on his phone for mysterious fruits.
“Qingqing.”
Qingbao materialized beside him, echoing his thoughts: We made the news…
“Xunxun!”
Treasure Seeker glared, lifting his head. “I’ll never fight random opponents just because you want snacks again!”
The fight with the bad monkey had been an accident. While scouting for opponents, Qingbao had suddenly announced hunger, pointing at the hot dog stall. Treasure Seeker, short on cash, challenged the monkey to a hot dog duel.
“Qingqing!” Qingbao retorted.
You wanted a hot dog too!
“Xunxun!” Treasure Seeker snapped, “I only fought for you, not myself! Eating was just a bonus!”
He turned back to his phone, done talking.
Qingbao hesitated.
Admittedly, Treasure Seeker had fought many low-Level opponents recently… just to satisfy his cravings.
“Qingqing?” Qingbao floated closer, peeking at the phone. “What are you looking at?”
Treasure Seeker shifted, turning his back.
Qingbao: “…Ignoring me now?”
Treasure Seeker stayed silent, back still turned.
Qingbao pouted.
Since birth, he’d never faced such cold-shoulder treatment.
The wind howled in irregular gusts, unsettling the room.
Curtains fluttered violently, and the chandelier swayed with a metallic creak.
Treasure Seeker stared at the mobile phone, unmoving—a stark contrast to its usual habit of fleeing when Qingbao grew angry.
The wind abruptly died.
Could it actually be furious? Qingbao wondered, recalling how Treasure Seeker had never seemed capable of genuine anger before. Now, faced with its icy silence, Qingbao found itself uncharacteristically self-reflective.
Why isn’t the wind blowing anymore? Treasure Seeker resisted the urge to glance back, its fingers gripping the phone tightly.
Seconds ticked by.
Just as Treasure Seeker assumed Qingbao had vanished via Wind Transformation, a hesitant voice broke the stillness:
“Qingqing?”
Leader, you’re not actually upset, are you?
“Xunxun?!”
Treasure Seeker finally turned, wide-eyed with a joyful expression, as it spun around to face Qingbao.
Qingbao blinked, stunned. It called me Leader?!
……
It was 11:30 AM.
At the dining table, Youzhen Cat placed the last dish onto the table.
“Didn’t expect Thunder Dragon to evolve into a thunder dragon so quickly,” Migala remarked, watching Tingbao dig into its Energy Meal.
Only yesterday, they’d said the evolution would take another day or two. Yet now, after just a morning apart, it had evolved.
“It gorged on Dragon Power Fruits this morning,” Qiao Sang explained with a smile. “Jacqueline Teacher checked Qingbao and casually examined Tingbao too. Turns out its energy reserves have reached the Junior rank’s upper limit.”
“Thunder dragons have strong Absorption abilities,” Migala noted appreciatively.
Familiars had daily limits on how much energy they could Absorb—consuming more didn’t guarantee more energy intake. The amount absorbed daily was part of a familiar’s potential.
All thanks to the Golden Finger… Qiao Sang mused inwardly.
“What Traits and Skills did the thunder dragon Awaken?” Migala asked.
“Trait: Static. Skills: Dragon Claw, Electric Net, and Ten Thousand Volts,” Qiao Sang answered.
She omitted mentioning the Thunder Devouring Trait.
Under normal circumstances, a newly evolved familiar’s newly Awakened Trait wouldn’t be detectable without Shishi’s presence, especially during daylight without rain or thunder. She planned to wait for a rainy day or an Electric Beast’s arrival—when Tingbao could devour its lightning and accidentally reveal the Trait.
“A Ten Thousand Volts Skill already?” Migala’s eyes widened briefly before she composed herself.
Qiao Sang’s familiars—and Qiao Sang herself—were infamous for defying expectations. Compared to that, a high-rank Electric-Type Skill in a thunder dragon seemed almost mundane.
As they spoke, Treasure Seeker and Qingbao floated into the room, chirping happily.
Recovered so quickly? Qiao Sang glanced toward Treasure Seeker, surprised to see it grinning broadly—its usual cheerfulness now bordering on suspicious enthusiasm.
“Xunxun~”
Treasure Seeker glided to its Beastmaster’s side, placed the mobile phone on the table, then hovered to its Energy Pills. It began devouring the supplements with uncharacteristic vigor.
Could it have found that mysterious size-altering fruit? Qiao Sang speculated. Unlikely. If Treasure Seeker had found a lead, it wouldn’t eat first—it’d blurt it out immediately.
She redirected her focus to Teacher Mikara’s words, tossing in a joke:
“Maybe it got struck by Ten Thousand Volts and evolved that way!”
Migala’s chopsticks froze mid-air.
“Tingting…”
Tingbao paused with a pill halfway to its mouth, its expression turning contemplative. So if I get hit by other Skills in the future… would I Awaken those too?
Qiao Sang suddenly straightened.
“Should we keep staying here, or move somewhere else?”
Migala raised an eyebrow. “You’ve got a destination in mind?”
“Not really,” Qiao Sang said. “But now that Qingbao and Tingbao have evolved, there’s nothing to do here but train. We’ve heard no news about Sun Crystals either. If we travel, we might gather useful information.”
She omitted the second reason: news outlets had already broadcast Treasure Seeker’s recent battle. With Treasure Seeker’s reputation, finding opponents here would become increasingly difficult. A change of scenery would solve that.
Migala fell into thought.
Qiao Sang pressed on:
“The main reason is Xia Lala.”
“Xiaxia?”
The Steel Treasure’s mental voice grumbled, Convenient excuse.
Qiao Sang pretended not to hear.
Xia Lala looked up mid-meal, eyes wide with confusion.
“Tenth Seat specifically told me to take Xia Lala traveling,” Qiao Sang continued. “If I keep it cooped up here, it’ll inevitably get bored. Remember, its only condition for joining Tenth Seat was to see the world.”
“Xiaxia…” Xia Lala’s eyes glistened.
“Steel Chief,” Steel Treasure’s voice sighed again.
Migala studied Xia Lala’s hopeful expression before deciding, “Fine. Where do you suggest?”
“Men Province,” Qiao Sang answered instantly.
She’d researched it earlier—Men Province was the closest location where a meteor shower had struck recently. There might still be residual Sun Crystals.
“Men Province it is.” Migala agreed without hesitation.
Predictable, Qiao Sang mused. Mention Xia Lala, and Teacher Mikara stops thinking.
“Prepare tomorrow’s departure,” Migala ordered.
Qiao Sang blinked. “?? Already?!”
She’d long stopped counting how many times Teacher Mikara’s decisiveness left her reeling.
“You were the one who suggested leaving,” Migala pointed out. “Any reason to delay?”
“Actually, yes,” Qiao Sang admitted. “I just posted a mission for an Electric Beast to battle Tingbao.”
Migala’s eyes sharpened. “Testing for more Traits?”
Thunder dragons, as Dragon/Electric dual-types, had likely Awakened Traits aligned with those types. An Electric Beast’s unique Traits could reveal whether Tingbao had hidden abilities.
“Teacher, you’re brilliant!” Qiao Sang praised.
Migala’s lips twitched upward before she composed herself. “No Electric Beasts have accepted yet?”
“None—”
“Xunxun~”
Treasure Seeker suddenly chirped, phone pressed to its ear. Mission accepted! It signaled through a series of animated gestures.
Qiao Sang paused mid-blink.
Beep!
The doorbell rang.
Youzhen Cat opened the door, revealing a Dian Zha Guai in a black top hat and bowtie. The creature doffed its hat with a gentlemanly bow.
“Dian Dian.”
“Electric Shocker?” Qiao Sang asked cautiously.
“Dian Dian?” The creature tilted its head, perplexed.
(End of Chapter)
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